Software industry is holding fair in Havana

The cream of the crop as far as information technology is concerned is putting on a great show this week at the Pabexpo Fairgrounds in Havana with 35 Cuban companies and other firms hailing from Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, China, Spain, Italy, France and Panama.

The tradeshow spreads knowledge about high-tech breakthroughs and brand-new products hitting the national market, including the latest software, computer items and related products linked to information, telecommunications, automation and the electronic industry.

The ninth edition will be devoted to the software industry in an effort to make it one key economic player and a booster for the development and efficiency of all economic and service areas on the island nation. The endeavor includes the usage of information and communication technology coupled with their beneficial applications.

With this goal in mind, major investments in the acquisition of state-of-the-art means and support equipment have been made. Other important steps include infrastructure buildup and personnel training.

Today, Cuba has 2.2 computers per every one hundred inhabitants and more than 400 websites lodging over 30,000 pages in all.

In reference to other new communication tools, by the end of 2002 there were 360,000 e-mail users on the island nation, with almost a third of them linked to international-access servers. On the other hand, digital phone systems are expanding rapidly and improving connections all across the country through a nationwide network of optic fiber lines and hookups.

The tradeshow allows visitors to take a peek at management-oriented software, multimedia applications on health care systems, banking, postal mail and smart-card systems.